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Rewriting is a wonderful thing. It's the only department in life
where you get to say something and then take it back and figure
out how to say it better before anyone has to see it.
—Susan
Bell, The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing
Yourself
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Editing Services
There are many types
of editing, and each one involves many things. The type of
editing you need or want will depend on the stage you have
reached with your project and your skill and experience as a
writer. If you know you are at the point of needing an editor,
or you think you are but aren't sure, send me an email
and
together we'll decide.
Rates
Like many editors, I charge by the
hour for most projects. Once I have a good
idea of the type of editing you are looking for, I will give you
my best estimate, and I will stick to it unless circumstances
demand that we go back to the drawing board.
Manuscript consultation
Structural editing
Stylistic editing
Copy
editing
Manuscript consultation
Beginning with a
sample of your manuscript (usually 20–30
pages), I will give you a thorough critique of your work, its
strengths and weaknesses, structure, style, language, clarity, and ease of reading. I will show you through examples how to
correct common errors and bad habits and how to begin the
process of revising and polishing your manuscript. I will offer
suggestions on every aspect of your work and will recommend
books appropriate to what you are writing, to help you learn
more about the craft.
Structural editing
This is about assessing and shaping your manuscript to improve
its content and organization so that the information, argument, or plot flows
logically and takes your reader in the direction you intend. I
will look at your manuscript in depth and suggest ways to
rearrange, add, or delete to improve sequence and transitions
and to present information more effectively, always keeping the
purpose of your material in mind.
Stylistic editing
As my writing teacher Eileen
Kernaghan
taught me,
"Style
involves the structure and rhythm of sentences, choice of words,
use of metaphors, and images." While preserving your unique style
and voice,
and with special attention to the purpose of your material, I
will help you make your words more pleasurable to read by
clarifying meaning, improving flow, and smoothing language.
Copy editing
Copy editing is the stage at which your manuscript is fine tuned
and polished to make it error-free and a pleasure to read. Line
by line I will examine your manuscript for correctness,
consistency, accuracy, and completeness. I will look at grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and other mechanics of style,
and will mark recurring problems. If appropriate I will write
or edit front or back matter, captions, and/or credit lines, and
will check all aspects of design and formatting.
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